These are the cars that people keep the longest when bought new

No new automobile is kept longer in America than the massive Ford Expedition, according to the research site and search engine iSeeCars.com. However, the Expedition is not one of the most popular cars in America. To see the average length of ownership of the most popular cars bought new, continue through the gallery.

No new automobile is kept longer in America than the massive Ford Expedition, according to the research site and search engine iSeeCars.com. However, the Expedition is not one of the most popular cars in

No new automobile is kept longer in America than the massive Ford Expedition, according to the research site and search engine iSeeCars.com. However, the Expedition is not one of the most popular cars in America. To see the average length of ownership of the most popular cars bought new, continue through the gallery.

No new automobile is kept longer in America than the massive Ford Expedition, according to the research site and search engine iSeeCars.com. However, the Expedition is not one of the most popular cars in

The seven-year-itch, the time in a marriage when a spouse supposedly becomes less happy with the relationship, appears to apply to cars as well as people.

According to iSeeCars.com, the average car owner gets rid of a car 7.4 years after purchasing it new. The automotive research firm and search engine analyzed 6 million used vehicles sold by original owners in order to determine which models people hold on to the longest.

The answer is SUVs mostly.

Photo: ISeeCars

iSeeCars's research has determined that these are the cars that people keep the longest when bought new.

iSeeCars's research has determined that these are the cars that...

Five of the top 10 new cars kept the longest were hulking people movers, including the Chevrolet Suburban (No. 7), Toyota Sequoia (No. 3) and Ford Expedition (No. 1). All have seating for at least seven passengers and a general disdain for fuel economy.

The Expedition led all makes with an average 9.0 years ownership.

Other SUVs that made the list are the Toyota 4Runner (No. 4) and Ford Explorer (No. 6), both of which offer third-row seating is an option. The only minivan, the Honda Odyssey, slipped in at No. 10.

"These vehicles tend to be family haulers, which means that parents are likely to keep them for longer than average and not replace them until a large family vehicle is no longer necessary," said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly.

Bucking the trend was the one sports car on the list, the Chevrolet Corvette. The second-ranked 'Vette matched the Expedition in average years held at nine. As iSeeCar notes, the Corvette and other sports cars are less likely to be used as primary vehicles, so they suffer less wear and tear and are therefore kept longer.

The three sedans on the list — the Toyota Avalon, the Honda Accord and the Ford Taurus — all have good track records for reliability.

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"These three vehicles are also the top three sedans on the iSeeCars list of longest-lasting vehicles likely to reach 200,000 miles in this same order," said Ly.

Noticeably absent from the list are luxury cars, which are often leased instead of owned.

Only two of the cars that people keep the longest after purchasing new are among the most popular cars sold in the U.S. To see how the top-20 most popular cars compare for length of ownership, check out the gallery.